Grooming

[shelly]

Boy. I'm full of questions tonight! When you get your doodle groomed.. do you leave the hair on the chin longer or do you keep it tight to the chin?

[F, Calla & Luca]

I like it fairly short. My preference is that the dogs look like doodles not goats. I also think it less likely to be dirty or drip water. Some people like their dogs with more of a beard though.

[Kathie and the gang]

I like to have Winston with a fairly short beard. He tends to discolor under the chin from drinking. So keeping it short keeps this problem sort of under control.

[Adina P]

I think doodles look best with their natural beards, but they ARE stinky. I made my poor Rosco look ridiculous recently because I got sick of his wet, stinky face so trimmed his whole snout fairly short (not quite poodley but too close). I hate how it looks but love how clean he is =)

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I like the beard or chin hair no longer than one inch and think they look everybit like a doodle with it that short. It is so much cleaner and dryer when they eat or drink. We feed homecooked and some raw foods, so I prefer his beard is not collecting food in all that hair.

[Pat & "Tucker"]

I keep it just about Chin length- as others said- it gets dirty and stinky.

[Missi]

I swear, Lizzie's chin hair grows faster than the rest of her body! I try to keep it short, but it ends up pretty long. And it's stinky and sloppy and discolored too!

[F, Calla & Luca]

There's a whole discussion on this in the doodle grooming group.

[Azure & Muppet]

Good to know that there is a discussion to read on this topic, because I've been wondering about the same issue. It just seems to collect dirt, water, food, and get discolored and stinky when it is long, but I wasn't sure how short to cut it. So I'll be interested to read other people's experience and opinions.

[shelly]

Hmmm. THANKS! I've been looking, but haven't found it yet. I've only gotten through the first few pages. I'll keep looking. I didn't know if cutting it would make her look more poddlier (not that that's bad - she IS HALF poodle and with out that side, she wouldn't be as smart and the low/no shed that she is...., just love the doodle look) Glad to hear that many people do keep it shorter. If I don't like it, it will always grow back - I guess. I'll have to do some "picture hunting of those doodles". Thanks everyone! Shelly

[Adina P]

Shelly...a faster way to search is to use the search box and type in a key word like "beard" or "chin" or various other adjectives that refer to the beard hair...then hit enter and you'll get instances where that has come up in the past.

[shelly]

Thanks! I actually just saw that this morning... must have been half asleep the first time I searched. (It was like 2 in the morning - lol) Thanks so much!!!!

[Denise, Winnie, and AngelAbby]

Well, I read somewhere that a doodles head is suppose to be trapezoid shaped - it can't be trapezoid if the beard is long - in my opinion anyway. I like it shorter also - much cleaner that way. People like different things tho - and there is no standard I don't think. It's all in what you - the dog owner - like.